


Resistance

by RavenTores, TimeLordOfManyNames



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 19:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13417839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenTores/pseuds/RavenTores, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimeLordOfManyNames/pseuds/TimeLordOfManyNames
Summary: "Where did you come from?" the dark seemed to shiver, all its body, enormous and weightless at the same time, that covered the mountains and the narrow throat of the valley, the riverside, the village and the forest, began to shake, to tremble, like a disturbed water in a cup. "Why can't I take you, break you?"





	Resistance

**Author's Note:**

> For http://www.stephenwillis.co/writing-challenge/  
>  **TimeLordOfManyNames** kindly reminds you that he **only did the translation** into English language, **the author** of this story **is RavenTores**.
> 
> Muse - Resistance https://youtu.be/TPE9uSFFxrI
> 
> Love is our resistance  
> They'll keep us apart and they won't stop breaking us down  
> Hold me  
> Our lips must always be sealed  
> If we live a life in fear  
> I'll wait a thousand years  
> Just to see you smile again

When darkness fell on foothills, there was nothing in common with the night in it. Blackness came like an avalanche, rolled down hillsides, overcame as a  suffocating wave with no mercy for anything. In a moment the forest, the riverside, the narrow throat of the valley and the village that nestled here since the dawn of time were found to be captured by the darkness.

Thickness of the gloom that encircled an old spur ridge with its rings was startling. No sooner one could cross the doorstep than pitchy dark had its endlessness at arm's length, it seemed that the darkness was going to grow chaps straight away and to clutch daring hand, snapping it off forever.

No lantern was in power to dispel even a little the darkness that came. No stars or moon appeared, the sky sank in blackness, hid, as if it had never born clouds, as if it had never told about the endless blue, calling to leave this unhomely place.

In the whole village there was no person, who wouldn't fear the darkness. People remembered the names of gods and prayed fervently, asking mysterious forces to bring them back even a modicum of light, while hiding in their homes. They feared to ask for more, for the sun, they would agree even for a barely perceptible shining of distant stars.

But gods kept silence, as is the way of the gods, and silence that came with the blackness crept gradually under roofs, leaked into chinks, depriving those, who tried to appeal to the forces, able to overwhelm the darkness, of voices. Only on the outskirts of the village, in a house with a sagging roof, silent fear didn't settle. A lantern, hanging over the porch, traced out — as if cutting off the dark — a steady semicircle of light. A girl, standing in it, peered into the darkness with such an attention, like she was able to understand its nature and thus overthrow it.

No fright was reflected in her face, plain and not quite beautiful, no mite of doubts was in her eyes, a bit squinted. The girl tightened her lips into a line, while peering into the dark, and there were only obstinacy and readiness to fight in it.

Finally she exhaled indistinctly through clenched teeth.

"It's not so easy to deal with," she said. Her voice spread resonantly all over the space, traced out by light, but was bogged down straight off in a solid wall of the blackness. "There is no dark that the light couldn't overcome."

"Why are you so sure of it?" it whispered in reply. The veil of the darkness shuddered, wavered, tried to clasp the warm light of the lantern, but didn't manage to take over even a bit. The girl smirked.

"Even a faint lantern can keep you back."

"All the lanterns of this village are dead," the dark retorted, acquiring a sole voice, dense and heavy. "How do you feel about all the candles dying too?"

Illuminated windows began to fade one by one. Perhaps, people were crying in the blackness that surrounded them, but nothing was heard. In an instant there were only the lantern and the window of the lone house that shone warmth, left. The girl didn't falter, and there was no panic reflected in her eyes.

"My lantern is still too tough for you," she said calmly.

"Where did you come from?" the dark seemed to shiver, all its body, enormous and weightless at the same time, that covered the mountains and the narrow throat of the valley, the riverside, the village and the forest, began to shake, to tremble, like a disturbed water in a cup. "Why can't I take you, break you?"

"I know your secret," and she entered the house, while the lantern was left to shine, reclaiming a steady semicircle of space from the dark.   

***

A single candle burned in the house, but it was enough to not let the dark hide in corners. The girl knelt and put the knife carefully between floorboards, pressing on a secret mechanism. As soon as there was a little click, the floorboards raised and slid apart, uncovering an alcove, where a scabbard, wrapped in plain and coarse fabric, drowsed.

After pulling it out and throwing away the fabric that enveloped it, the girl stood up, holding the sword at arm's length.

"Look for how long there was no need in our dance," she started. "How I moped over you, how I missed you, but you know that you had to sleep all this while. Such is our predestination."

And she bared the sword. Glares of fire streamed over the shining blade, and in a heartbeat it started to look like the blade were burning. The girl sighed, holding the hilt with both hands.

"Then come to me tonight." Not a single sound dropped off her lips, but words that she whispered to the sword were heard.

She closed her eyes just for a moment, to feel her palms suddenly touching someone else's. When she looked forward again, the sword was held by other hands — the strong hands of the swordmaster.

"I waited," the sonorous voice came. "The darkness came again, forgetting that this world doesn't belong to it."

"Teh," she named shortly, and a smile flashed over her face, hiding in the corners of her eyes in an instant.

"No more words, Aisha," holding the sword in his outstretched hand, Teh stepped closer to her and touched her lips with his own. "Let's come and create the dawn."

She only nodded.

***

Aisha went out to the porch, took the lantern off the hook and went down. The darkness parted before her, albeit threw its wave on a gentle glow, like if trying to bite through it by growing tentacles and chaps.

"Clear the way," Aisha raised her voice.

The darkness laughed.

"Do you want to banish me, girl? How dare you? Your lantern will fade away as well."

"Banishing is not my business," Aisha shook her head, and smile that appeared on her lips forced the dark to rustle louder, forgetting about the silence.

"What is it on your mind?!"

"I will be banishing," the man's voice came. Teh went out to the porch and followed Aisha that kept walking slowly the road long time known to the square in the center of the village, where the well was. While the darkness was wavering around, unable to comprehend, what changed and who the man with the sword was, Aisha leaded Teh to the well.

The light grew dim, it almost faded, when Aisha put the lantern on a rock fringe. In the deep of the well water glimmered weakly, the stars, barely visible, flickered in it, as if the well could see the true sky through all this blackness.

"I see," Teh said briefly, baring the sword.

And the lantern went out immediately. The light seemed to be absorbed by the blade, and there was no darkness around Aisha and Teh all the same.

"Do you challenge me?" the darkness laughed.

But Teh closed his eyes, concentrating, and turned to Aisha.

"Do you believe me?" he asked quietly.

"I entrust my entire life to its last drop to you," Aisha answered.

"Will you allow me to do what we came for in this world?"

"As it should be."

"Will you allow me to feed the darkness to bring back the light?"

"Yes."

"And will you forgive me my love that allows us to touch each other only once a thousand years?" he looked her in the eyes. Aisha smirked weekly and jerked the lacing of her shirt, baring her collarbones and her chest.

"I forgive you, Teh."

The dark and the gloom couldn't touch her snowy skin. She threw her head back slightly, and the same moment Teh pierced her unfenced chest with the sword with all his strength.

Water in the well began to seethe, to rumble, rising up its stony throat, ran forward and upward. Teh didn't draw out the sword, Aisha's eyes looked blind into the overcast sky, but a smile rested on her lips. Teh was waiting, while the only display of grief that he could allow himself was crossing his cheek slowly. Water broke away from the well, and it fell down Teh's chin to blend with it.

Teh jerked the sword towards himself, Aisha's body fell into the water, and the light burst out. Like it wasn't blood streaming off the wound, like the well water was the sealed sky, full of stars.

Teh stepped back, moved away from the body that seemed exceptionally fragile, and the same moment the glowing around him became entirely unbearable, began to curl until revealed itself as moon reflection.

Low and big, silver and bright moon hang above the village. The dark heaved, but could it really stand up to the shine so powerful? Lanterns lighted up on every porch, candles burned up in every house. The dark turned to night, a quiet night, a beautiful night, overfilled with stars.

Aisha lied in the moon reflection and seemed asleep. The severe wound in her chest was almost invisible.

Teh turned to east and more likely guessed that seen the dawn starting to wake there. Mountains that stood motionless in the west already looked forward to it — ice caps were slightly illuminated. Even though the night still reigned in the valley, the morning light poured up there.

"It's done," Teh concluded and knelt a step away from the body. "I love you, Aisha."

Silence spilled itself over.

***

Soft light was spilling itself down the sky, somewhere in the distance the sun just showed itself, but the village square still drowned in lavender twilight. Water was lazily overflowing from the well, so bright and clear, like if shining on its own.

Aisha shifted, ran her hand across her chest and tightened the edges of the lacing. Breath came hard, but soon she already sat, looking around.

"It's done," she whispered and stood up. "I love you, Teh."

She bent to the sword, lying nearby, that didn't end up in the water, which flooded the whole square and every street, by miracle and, having the scabbard seized, headed slowly to the house on the outskirts.

The morning was becoming brighter. There was an extinguished tin lantern near the well, lying on its side. In its glass the flower of the rising sun was growing slowly.


End file.
